Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Taylor.

Hi Karen, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I had so many hobbies as a kid – and I still do. We didn’t have much money when I was growing up, so I mostly made things with whatever I could find. I knitted and crocheted with scraps of wool; built things out of leftover bits of wood; and embroidered, printed, and sculpted with paper. Nothing went to waste. I‘ve been painting and drawing since I was old enough to hold a crayon.

That urge to create has never left me. Although I started out as a scientist and then worked in computing, I eventually returned to my true love of making things. I had a successful jewelry business for several years, exhibiting at many prestigious venues. My work was very sculptural: I created pieces out of wire using fiber art techniques like weaving and crocheting.

Even then, I knew something was missing, so I took a leap of faith and became a professional artist. That was seventeen years ago, and I haven’t looked back.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I started painting professionally, I had no colleagues. I was new to Canada, having recently moved from Scotland, and I wasn’t fresh out of art school with graduate programs and classmates as support. Initially, I had to figure things out on my own, learning a lot the hard way. Where would I show my work? How would I hear about opportunities? There were so many things to find out. Much of it was trial and error, but I eventually started to meet other artists.

Where I couldn’t find the opportunities I needed, I created them. I would gather groups of artists and find spaces to exhibit our work. I built my own community and support system. Now I share a fantastic studio and gallery with a few other artists. It’s a great space to work solo, as well as collaborate on some fun and interesting projects.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m known for being an abstract painter, and my current work features typography. Over the years, I’ve amassed a collection of favorite phrases and words. As a huge font nerd, I’ve enjoyed experimenting with these phrases in different typefaces. My aim is to emphasize the meaning of the words on the canvas through my choice of lettering and composition.

Many of the words I portray come from discussions about human issues: the difficulties we face, and our experience of being human. Everything from Maggie Kuhn talking about standing up for yourself to Leonard Cohen singing about healing.

My hope is always that people will find my work to be both thought-provoking and fun, but always relevant to our day-to-day lives.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happy? This was always a difficult question for me until I realized why. Happy feels fleeting, passive and unfulfilling – a Hallmark moment. I want more than that: to be engaged, thought-provoked, absorbed, astounded, intrigued, and fascinated.

I want to learn and experience new things: to cram my brain with as much as it will hold. Whether it’s live music, crafting something new, or working my way through a stack of books, there are too many cool things out there and not enough time.

For me, happiness is a by-product, not a goal in itself. Happiness seems like such a low bar. I want more.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.KarenTaylorArt.com
• Instagram: @KarenTaylorArt